Talking
by bluepickles92
Summary: Many people have asked why Raph is the only turtle with an accent. Here's my answer in the form of a one-shot. Please R&R!


**A/N: I've this story idea in my head for months, it just kept being pushed aside for things deemed more important, but finally here it is. A huge thanks (again) to my new editor and best friend, Helen, you are absolutely amazing. **

**Disclaimer: I regret to inform you that I do not own any turtles – teenage, mutant, ninja, or otherwise. It really is quite depressing.**

**Talking**

This was all he needed. His bare knuckles slamming into the cold, stiff leather. The rhythmic pounding. The rattling chains. The adrenalin forcing his blood to flow faster through his veins. He felt relaxed, almost at peace. His body was light and his mind was clear and empty. His thoughts were as silent as his surroundings. For the moment, tension and anger didn't exist. He was in control and they weren't allowed. Only the soothing, steady beating of flesh hitting leather was welcome here.

"Raph …could I ask you a question?"

Heaving a sigh, Raphael's shoulders dropped into an exhausted slump as his sights shifted from the punching bag to the floor. "Wha'd do ya want, brainiac?" he responded with gruff irritation, now pivoting to look at his immediate younger brother.

"Well, Mikey and I were talking and I was just wondering why you're the only one of us that has a Brooklyn accent. It doesn't make any sense. We should all have an accent or none of us should. It's not like we had anyone to talk to other than each other when we were growing up."

"Ya done?"

"I guess so…but I still don't understand it."

"Must be eatin' ya up."

"Just forget it," Don sighed as he disappeared out the door.

Raph growled while throwing another punch at the brown leather bag. He'd love to forget why he talked so differently than his brothers, but every time he tried to force it, the memories would just come back stronger and clearer. The most definite of the memories clawed and shoved its way to the forefront of his mind. He had been sitting watching TV with Mike. One of those little kid shows that the youngest of the turtles had always liked to watch. Something with a purple and green dinosaur. Both Mike and Leo had been really into that show for a while but he hadn't liked it much. The show had just come on and Raph sighed loudly in exasperation.

"Mikey, can I have the wamote, now?"

The orange masked turtle tot hesitantly pulled his eyes away from the colorful screen and smiled mischievously at his second oldest brother, "But I don't have a wamote. I only have a remote," he stated in a smart aleck-y tone, heavily stressing the 'r' sound on remote.

Raph sat for a moment, not knowing whether to hit Mikey or cry. If he hit Mikey, Master Splinter would be angry and put him in a time-out or he wouldn't get dessert tonight and he didn't really feel like crying, Mikey would just make fun of him for that too. The red masked toddler instead scooted of the couch and trudged over to the bedroom he shared with his brothers. Leo was in there playing with a couple of toy cars.

Raph pointed to one and asked, "Can I have the wed caow?"

His immediate older brother looked up at him confused, "Raphie, we don't have any cow toys."

"I didn't say cow. I said caow. I want the caow."

"There aren't any cows. Tell sensei that you want a cow toy for your birthday."

"But I don't want a cow for my birwthday, I want the wed caow your holding."

"I-I don't have a cow," Leo replied shaking his head. "I don't think there are red cows. I've only got two cars."

"That's what I said! The two caows! I want one."

"Raphie, there isn't even one cow. Stop being so stupid. You can see that there aren't any cows here."

"That's not what I was saying," he wound his arm back then sent it shooting out with all the force his small body could muster squarely hitting his blue masked older brother on the side of the head.

"Raphael," a stern voice snapped.

The small turtle reluctantly turned to face his father, his amber eyes locked tightly to the gray stone floor.

"I have told you several times to not hit your brothers, my son. Now you will go out to the living room and put your nose to the corner as punishment, but first say you are sorry."

"…I'm sorwy, Sensei."

"Turn around and apologize to Leonardo, I am not the one you hurt."

He immediately did as he was told, not wanting to get in any more trouble for the rest of that night. As he got older things got a little better. Splinter had ordered the others not to tease him and it did help a bit. Mike had kept it up, though, always taking the extra effort to point out every time he said something wrong. One time Don had asked him why he kept talking if he couldn't ever learn to say anything correctly. He only replied by stomping out and slamming the door loudly behind him. He had already been considering that, he just didn't know how to make it work. He wouldn't be able to ask for anything, or talk to anyone, or be able to play with the walkie-talkies Donnie had made. Raph then decided to talk to Master Splinter. The aging rat always seemed to know the right answer to everything, so the young turtle cautiously shuffled over to his father who was on the couch watching his stories.

"Sensei? Can I ask you a question?"

"You may, my child," he replied, nodding affirmatively. "What is it you wish to ask?"

"Well, I was wonderwing if you could help me fix the way I talk."

"And why would you want to do that?"

"Because I talk funny and can't say things wight – wright – wrrright…" he sighed with heavy irritation as he gave up the useless battle.

Splinter turned his attention to the clock on the wall for a moment before turning back to his second oldest, "We will have this conversation later. I need to go scavenging before it gets too late."

"Can I go with you?"

The father stared at his son for a long minute, the conflict visible in his hazelnut colored eyes, "Fine, but you must stay with me at all times. Wait by the door while I tell your brothers where we are going."

Raph nodded and did as he was asked waiting by the exit of their subterranean home. Once the ninja and the soon to be ninja was to the surface, they slipped through the deserted back alleys and over to the nearest city dump. Splinter began rummaging through a pile of old books and magazines looking anything that he or his sons' would enjoy reading. Raphael, on the other hand, started scanning the surrounding mountains of trash for something more interesting. He spotted what he was looking for a few yards away.

"Sensei, therwe's a huge pile of toys. Can I go look through it?"

"Go ahead, but do not leave my sight."

The red banded turtle wasted no time zipping over and sifting through the piles of small plastic wheels and action figures with missing limbs. He managed to find the body of a green car and all the other pieces that went with it. Donnie could put it back together and maybe even make it a remote controlled car. Raph put the pieces on the bare ground behind him and returned to the rest of the toys searching for anything that wasn't broken, or more likely, something that could be fixed.

"Hey Tony, come ova here, check dis out."

Raph warily peered around all the toys to see two men staring at something one of the guys was holding.

"So what is it?" the guy named Tony asked.

"It looks like a cawr pawrt, maybe da muffla."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's da muffla, alright," the first guy assured.

The hidden turtle looked on completely amazed by what he was witnessing. The first guy was talking so weird, yet his friend could understand him perfectly. It was as if he was speaking totally normal like everyone else. Raph now knew what he had to do so he wouldn't get teased and misunderstood. He'd talk like that guy. For months after, he watched countless movies, all taking place in New York. He had quickly figured out that those movies were more likely to have at least one character with what he now knew was a Brooklyn accent. Eventually he had it down and his brothers didn't make fun of him anymore. He sounded tougher too, like one of those guys that would throw a bomb at something then walked away all cool and calm as it went off instead of some whinny two year-old. He'd be lying if he ever even considered insinuating that he didn't like it and he was never going back to the way he used to talk, he'd much rather forget he'd ever sounded like that.

"Hey, Raph are you okay?" Leonardo asked in a worried voice.

The hothead spun sharply to face the older turtle. When did he get in here? "Ahhh, yeah, I'm fine. I think I'm gonna go look ova da caow, Don wanted me ta do dat."

Leo narrowed his eyes slightly, "You're going to go look over the what?"

"Da battle shell, Fearless, I'm gonna go look ova da battle shell," and he rushed out before another word could be said.

The blue masked teenager couldn't help but allow one corner of his mouth slide up in a knowing half-grin. There were just some things that couldn't be completely changed, no matter how much it's forced.

**A/N: Well, I don't really have much to say here so…Review please!**

**Leo: I can't believe you said I liked Barney. Take it out.**

**Me: Actually, I think that was more of an insinuation. Anyway, I don't know what the problem is, Mikey seems okay with it. *straightens as nun-chuck wraps around neck***

**Leo: *smirking* Are you going to change it now?**

**Me: You know, this situation might be scarier if your biceps weren't so distracting.**

**Leo & Mikey: …**

**Me: Oookay. Pretty, pretty please review with a cherry on top****! :)**


End file.
